There is no funner way to practice your English than playing. There is no dispute about that. And, if you are a nerd, like we are, trivia is a fantastically fun way to learn, not only English but also senseless pieces of information through playing.

What is Trivia?

Trivia is basically details, considerations, or pieces of information of very little importance or value.

For example:

What did Madonna wear in the original version of her 1984 hit single “Like a Virgin”

a) a wedding dress

b) a cone shaped bra

c) a nun’s habit

How will we play?

There will be 6 categories; Geography, Entertainment, History, Arts & Literature, Science & Nature, and Sports & Leisure. Once everyone has arrived we will break up into groups to compete for the grand prize. (Shhh, it’s a surprise!)

What will you get for your money?

The cost is $100 pesos and it includes 2 hours of gaming, 2 cans of beer (or soda) and snacks (potato chips, peanuts, etc) oh yeah and loads of nerdy fun!

The science of happiness states that there is one step that keeps us from being a 10 on the scale of contentment and that is giving back to the community IN community!

That is why on June 4th 2016, from 9:30-12:30 the English in Rosario and Spanish in Rosariocommunities will be giving back by helping BAR | Banco de Alimentos in #Rosario to unload, organize, count, clean, and inventory the food that will then be distributed to those that need it most!

*IMPORTANT*
You will not be able to donate your time if you do not sign up by Thursday June 2nd.

I often hear people say they aren’t “much for philosophy.” I respect and understand that. The worst grade I received in all of my academic career was in Philosophy 101. While the professor clearly lacked the necessary pedagogical skills restless twenty-year-olds require to confront Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, there was nothing I considered interesting about that class, much less applicable to real life. I got a D in that course, one step above failure.

Until that time, studying, had always come easy to me. But it was perhaps, my brief brush with underachievement that sparked my thirst for questioning, igniting a need to define and destroy said definitions. Which is why I am writing this today, to kindle in you a small curiosity for reasoning.

What is Philosophy?

For me, it is the art of questioning everything; un-defining the defined and then questioning again. It is the examined life. Nothing is to be taken at face value. And when you find yourself comfortable in the definition of things, ask again. That is what we do in the Big Questions workshop and on last Friday we questioned happiness.

The quest for happiness is as ancient as time itself. There isn’t a philosopher dead or alive who hasn’t reflected upon it. And while we had agreed upon a few things, we had yet to define this abstract concept everyone is supposedly searching for.

Before defining and then un-defining, we looked a bit closer at how the concept of happiness and all its definitions had mutated extensively throughout the years.

For example, if we divide the philosophers into two groups, the Eastern and Western we will see that the Greeks equated happiness with ethics. This essentially meant that you did good because because you were virtuous and in being so, you achieved harmony. Harmony combined with the elimination of suffering is at the root of nearly all Eastern philosophers arguments. But things on the Western forefront changed with the arrival of Christianity. Happiness moved from something sought after in this life to something achieved in the afterlife. It became a reward. But it didn’t stop there. The Medieval times twisted Christianity’s definition ever so slightly adding that one must have a “godly attitude” if they were to achieve their reward. Pack your bags we are going on a guilt trip! It wasn’t enough to live a good moral life, you had to live a pious one if you wanted to achieve happiness in heaven. Finally, with the arrival of modern times, happiness transformed into something of a social achievement. And that is how we view it today. Happiness can now be lost, found, purchased and put on display. It is equated with positivism and the power of the mind, with staying clear of bad vibes and above all else appearing happy. God forbid your response to the question, “how you are feeling today?” be “terrible!” Every day there is more and more pressure to appear happy. If you don’t appear happy, you have to at least be in search of a path to get there.

But is happiness something you can find? Can you create it? Is it something to be achieved? Does it even exist? Is pleasure and happiness one in the same? Are they dependent on each other?

We do not have all the answers, but after two hours of examination we came to a group consensus:

We all felt happy in the moment that we were reflecting as a community

Happiness, at face value, seems to be determined by your circumstances. However, when you delve into it a bit more, happiness exists in spite of those circumstances.

And finally, we challenged good ole Aristotle’s by taking his famous quote, “Happiness depends on ourselves.” one step further. Because according to our reasoning, “Happiness doesn’t depend on yourself, it depends on overcoming your self.”

Signed,

The #BigQuestion Philosophers of EinR

Do you want to learn more about our monthly philosopher’s circle? Email us at englishinrosario@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook by clicking here.

Wine Talk is a night of fine wine, gourmet food, good friends and yes, English.

I have many passions in life, one of them is food and another is wine. Put these together with my passion for teaching and you have Wine Talk.

We will start out by learning about the winery and their harvests. After doing so, we will taste the first of three wines. Then we will taste that wine again to see how it changes withe the first course. We repeat this process three times, all the while learning how to recognized, decipher and describe the flavors we are experiencing.

While we do several of these events throughout the year, the first of 2016 will be:

Friday May 13th from 20:00-11:00!

This is a reservation only event which means you will need to come to English in Rosario (Catamarca 3095) before Thursday the 12th of May in order to pay for your seat. We only allow 25 reservations and they fill up quickly so don’t drag your feet or you will have to wait until June!

First of all, ain’t ain’t a word. So that should tell you right there that this game night ain’t going to be like any other game night in town. No sir. We are doing things the wrong way. The un-PC way. What is PC? Politically Correct, and on May 20th at 20:00 we are going to be the opposite. We are going to take the filters away and get real. We are going to play poker and drink beer!

What you can expect: To laugh until your cheeks hurt and to practice English while doing so. To meet new people and maybe even make new friends. To drink cold beer (or soda!) and learn to play poker, one of the most loved US American pastimes.

What is Philosophy? Who is a philosopher? What is the meaning of life? Is there life after death? Who are you really? What came first, the chicken or the egg?

These, and many more, are some of the big questions we plan to explore in our first English and Philosophy meet up.

This is a great opportunity to expand your perspectives as well as practice English, all at the same time!

Guided by Stephanie Cariker, native English teacher from the United States and Hernan Aliani, local philosopher, we will guide the group through a two hour discussion, seeking to open a space where opinion does not impede new points of view.

Are you and avid reader? Did you know that reading in English is like going to the gym for your brain? In fact, according to leading neurologist Robert. S. Wilson of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, mental activities such as reading and learning a language can keep your brain healthy well into old age, whereby keeping Alzheimer’s at bay.

If that isn’t enough of a reason to join our Reading Circle, then I don’t know what is? Maybe chocolate cake?

What is the Reading Circle?

Rosario Reading Circle is a monthly meeting organized by English in Rosario as an extracurricular activity to practice English in creatively different way.

Each month we choose an author, selecting either an entire book or several short pieces compiled together, to read on our own time. Then, on the last Friday of each month we come together to discuss, share, analyze and compare opinions, whereby forming a community of book devouring language lovers!

This month, March 2016, we will be reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” by recently deceased Harper Lee.

Materials will be available for pick up starting March 1st, however, we ask that you confirm your assistance prior to picking them up.

The price is $140 pesos per month and includes material, 2 hours of discussion in English, coffee, tea and homemade baked goods.

If you are interested in forming part of our community, you can sign up by clicking here.

Get is quite possibly the most difficult aspect to the English language. The reason is, while it has dozens of colloquial uses in the form of phrasal verbs like: get down, get together, and get along. Another reason is that we also use get to replace other verbs like: acquire, receive, become and provoke.

“I get paid on Friday” or “I get my paycheck on Friday.”

To get paid – get + adjective

To get my paycheck – receive + noun

So, with this in mind, we can use get when speaking about feelings: get nervous, get excited, get scared. We also use get when we talk about receiving a thing: get a letter in the mail, get a raise at work, get lunch with a friend.

But there are a few other contexts that GET might replace another verb. Let’s take a look.

To acquire or receive something – “I got the best birthday present this year.” “I got an email from Sarah today.”

To become (feeling!) – “I got annoyed with all the loud noise.” “I always get car sick on long drives.”

To arrive – “What time did you get home last night?”

To fetch – “Would you please get my purse for me? It is by the front door.”

To understand – “I didn’t get the joke.”

Finally, the most difficult part is understanding the context.

If I say, “Did you get it?” It could be referring to a thing, like, “Did you get the job?” Or in another context, it could be referring to a joke that you didn’t understand. So context is key!

Then of course we have our phrasal verbs. Here are few of the ones we use the most.

More literal meaning: Get on/off/ – the bus, the plane. “We got on the bus at 10:00 A.M.”

Get over – to overcome. “My sister is angry with me for forgetting her birthday but she will get over it.”

Get along – to have a friend relationship with someone. “I get along really well with Vanessa.”

Get through – to endure something, usually difficult. “This year has been difficult, but we will get through it.”

Get off – to have the audacity to do something. “Where do you get off calling me a bitch?!”

Get together – to have an intimate meeting. “The whole family got together for dinner tonight.”

Get back together – to have a reunion – “Did you hear? Susan and Matt are getting back together!”

Read the following short story to see if you can detect the perfect tenses in context.

“So tell us a little bit about yourself Kyle,” a voice boomed from the long lacquer table of black suits and bow ties. All eyes were on him. He had never done this kind of interview before. He felt intimidated being the center of attention.

“Well, I’m originally from Chicago. I have been living here in New York for the last two years, but I have lived all over really. I spent some time in Europe and South America, and have lived in California off and on again for the past 20 years. But like I said. I was born in Chicago.”

He was nervous. Being called for an interview by the New Yorker Magazine was something he had only fantasized about. Yet, here he was sitting before the board; the board who has published the first works of nearly all best selling authors in modern literature. The magazine who, since 1925, has evolved in establishing itself as the number one forum for serious fiction literature and journalism.

“And what brings you to New York?” asked the short brunette with cat eyed glasses.

“Oh um, my grandmother died a few months ago. She left me an apartment here so I thought I would try my luck. She always used to say, “you haven’t lived if you haven’t lived in New York.” So here I am, living.

“And have you always wanted to be a writer?” inquired the slightly balding Jack Nicholson look alike.

“I have never wanted anything more. I have kept a journal since the time I learned how to write. I still carry it everywhere with me. In fact, it is hard to believe I am even here right now. I have dreamed about this moment for so long. To be honest, I actually pinched myself to make sure this moment was real.”

There was a murmur of sophisticated giggles.

“Well, we were quite impressed with your writing,” said Jack’s twin. “Which is why we have decided to offer you a full time position here at the magazine. Your schedule would be from 9-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and when we have a heave deadline, we may ask you to work overtime. The salary starts at $45,000 a year. How does that sound to you?

Surprise painted his face. He hadn’t expected this. He had drawn this day in his mind and acted it out in his sleep, but he had never imagined he would be living it as a reality.

“It has been said, that good things come to those who wait and while that may ring true, as I have been waiting most of my life for this moment, I think that time must be accompanied by hard work. I have worked hard to get here and will continue doing so. It has not always been easy but I would have to be a fool to say no to the opportunity of a lifetime.

“We are happy you have accepted, they sounded in unison. “Welcome aboard.”